DeChambeau wins another $1.6 million
NORTON, Mass. — Bryson DeChambeau has found the right formula for the richest part of the PGA Tour season.
Coming off a four-shot victory last week in New Jersey, the 24-year-old physics major from Modesto who’s known as the Mad Scientist pulled away with three straight birdies to close out the front nine and kept his distance the rest of the way to win the Dell Technologies Championship on Monday.
DeChambeau closed with a 4-under-par 67 for a two-shot victory on the TPC Boston, becoming the second player in the 12 years of the lucrative FedEx Cup to win the opening two playoff events.
“I wouldn’t have written it any better, to be honest with you,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve been playing some great golf this whole year. And I knew it was a matter of time before something cool showed up.”
Vijay Singh did it in 2008 before the points system was changed to create more volatility. Singh effectively had the $10 million prize clinched before the finale.
DeChambeau, with his third victory this year, was assured of being the No. 1 seed when he gets to the Tour Championship, no matter what happens next weekend at the third playoff event outside Philadelphia.
He appears to be a shoo-in to be one of U.S. captain Jim Furyk’s three Ryder Cup picks to be announced Tuesday. The idea is to find the hottest player to fill out the team, and no one has been close to DeChambeau of late.
DeChambeau, who started the year No. 99 in the world, moved past Rory McIlroy to No. 7. DeChambeau finished at 16-under 268 and made $1.62 million for a second straight week.
Starting the final round one shot behind Abraham Ancer, DeChambeau had a two-putt birdie from 50 feet on No. 7, took the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole, and then hit his approach to 6 feet to a back right pin at No. 9 for his third straight birdie.